Rice-decorticating machine.



No. 654,558. Patented July 24, I900.

n. W.,WELCH.

RICE DECORTICATING MACHINE. (Application filed. A r; 24, 1900) (NoModel.)

Witnessesw v I I e 62mm W A "m: NORRIS PETERS c0 wow-Irmavv WASHINGTON,D. c

Nrrsn *ra'rns ATENT mes.

ROSIA W. WELCH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARDA. DAUGHERTY, OF SAME PLACE.

RICE-DECORTlCATING MACHINE.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,558, dated July 24,1900.

Application filed April 24, 1900. fierial No. 14,090. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, ROSIAW. WELCH, a cit-izen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvementsin Rice- Decorticating Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to rice-decorticating machines, and has for itsobject to provide 2.

IO machine of this character which will be of comparatively few parts,easy to operate, which will effectively decorticate or take off theinner skin of the grains of rice by attrition, and in which. the flow ofthe rice through the machine can be easily regulated, so as to keep thespaces between the concaves and cylinders gorged with the grains,andthereby cause said grains to repeatedly rub against one another andeffect the desired result.

The invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements, andcombinations of the parts, which will be hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,formin g part ofthis specificatiomin which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvedrice-decorticating machine with parts in section. Fig. 2 is an endelevation thereof with 0 parts in section to show one of thedecorticating-cylinders.- Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional viewof one concave with a portion of a decorticating-cylinder, and Fig. 4 isa detail transverse section of a portion of one of 3 5 the concaves andcylinders.

The framework of myimproved rice-decorticating machine is provided withupright posts, in which are mounted any suitable number of superposedsets of ooncaves and decorfloating-cylinders, all substantially the samein construction. In the present instance I have shown three. Eachconcave Aconsists of a plurality of segmental plates A, having theirinner surfaces toothed or corrugated, as

shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and secured by screws or the like to the innerside of inturned annu lar flanges 1), formed on circular heads B, whichare provided with lateral ears 12, se-

cured to the posts of the framework. Each head Bis also formed with ahollow boss B, in which the ends of shafts O are journaled, and

the decorticating-cylinders C are mounted on such shafts. Each revolublecylinder 0 is composed of two circular heads 0 having inturned annularflanges C to the outside of which are secured by screws or the like aplurality of toothed or corrugated plates D, the row of teeth orcorrugations of one plate extending crosswise of the plate and obliquelyto those of the next plate, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Between two of the decorticating devices described above, one above theother, are two horizontal partitions E, one above the other and spacedapart, each partition being provided with a central opening E, whichregisters with spaces between the opposing side concaves A, therebyproviding a continuous passage for the rice from the upper concave tothe lower one and from the hopper F to the discharge-spout G at thebottom of the machine. Between the two partitions and on each side ofthe openings E, I place a transverse strip L, as shown in Fig. 1, whichis out of alinement with the openings E and forms a chamber 6, which iskept filled with the rice, thereby compensating for any sudden orexcessive discharge from the concaves.

On one end of each shaft 0 a gear-wheel H is secured, the saidgear-wheels meshing with each other, and thereby rotating the cylindersin opposite directions, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 1, when theband-Wheel J on the op posite end of the middle shaft is connected withany suitable source of power. (Not shown.)

Now it is to be noted (see Figs. 3 and 4:) that a space cl is providedbetween the toothedor corrugated faces of the cylinders and theirconcaves, said space being designed to be 99 kept gorged with rice, andby this means and the revolution of the cylinder the grains of rice willrub against each other and also against the teeth and thoroughly removethe cuticle, leaving the whole grain in a pearlywhite state, ready forthe market. The grains are not crushed or broken. In order, therefore,to keep the spaces cl gorged, I provide simple means for regulating theflow of rice from one decorticating device to the next, [00 said meansconsisting of slides K, fiitted between the spaced partitions E andadapted to entirely close or to extend more or less across the centralopenings E of the concaves, as required. It is also to be observed, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, that the cross-corrugations of onedecorticating-plate extend obliquely to the corrugations of the nextplate and that the plates are arranged alternately, whereby thecorrugations extend first in one oblique direction and then in theother. By this construction and arrangement the grains of rice arecaused to travel toward and from the ends of the cylinders and concaves,as well as around the same, and a much more complete decortication is inthis manner accomplished.

It will be seen that I have provided a machine for this purpose whichcan be readily kept gorged with the rice and which will decorticate therice by attrition in a very simple and economic manner, the rice beingdischarged from the machine in a pearly-white condition entirelydeprived of its skin.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is- In a machine for the purpose described, aframework, a series of decorticatin g-cylinders arranged one above theother in said framework, concaves partially surrounding and spaced fromeach cylinder and providing a passage from the top to the bottom of themachine, two horizontal partitions one above the other between eachconcave and the one next below and registering with the said passage,slides arranged to be moved across said passage between the partitions,and transverse strips extending between each set of spaced apartpartitions out of alinement with the passage whereby to form a chamberadapted to be filled with the grain.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ROSIA WV. WVELOIL Witnesses:

F. S. STITT, CHARLES L. VIETSCPL

